Students enroll into Kingston College and after a minimum of five years they are ready to move into a university programme. Either it is at the prominent University of the West Indies or the University of Technology in Jamaica. Students are elated to get the news that they have been accepted in one of the many university programmes that they had previously applied for. It is all jubilation for the parents and the students until they come to the shocking revelation that come September 2009, tuition fees at the University of the West Indies will be approximately $210,000 per year for programmes outside of the faculty of Medical Sciences where it will be a minimum of $500,000 per year.
Tuition fees at the universities in Jamaica have been increasing at a rapid pace and out of the reach of the applicants and their parents. In the year 2000 tuition fees at the University of the West Indies for faculties outside of Medical Sciences stood approximately at $40,000 per year, compared to the year 2009 where it will be approximately $210,000 per year, an increase of over 500%.
One of the most important things in life is to make sure that you have a quality education coupled with the requisite documentation to show. The best move is to leave high school, and in this case Kingston College, and move on to a university where you can graduate in a minimum of three years with the requisite degree that will eventually make life better for you and your family in the near future. Kingston College has been known to provide a quality secondary education for its students past and present. It is therefore important that those students that have gone before to come back and see to it that all those who cannot afford to move on to a university education will have the option of doing so.
Two individuals that have been primarily responsible making this possible are Robert Kelly and Kitson Blissett. I know this because I have been one to benefit from the generous sponsorships that have been given by these two individuals. When I wanted to start my first degree at the University of the West Indies, I did not know where to turn with regards to my fees; I approached Basil Waite and was told to contact Robert Kelly the president of the New York chapter of the KCOBA. I did just that through an email explaining to him my situation and on that same day I received a response that made me smile even more. I was now sure of where my fees would be coming from.
I recently thought to myself what it would be like to have more KC students smiling as I did when I got the email confirming that I would be getting the money to pay for my degree. The only way that this can happen is if the program to sponsor KC students who are less fortunate is extended to incorporate more of these students. Also, the only way that the program can be extended is if more members of the Kingston College Diaspora come on board and put their money in a program that will benefit all.
I have known a particular young man for some time now, he is about to leave KC to enroll into the University of the West Indies. This young man falls within the category of someone who is in need of a sponsorship to begin his study at the University of the West Indies in September 2009. The world is changing now, CXC subjects are no longer the requirements for a secured position in a good job. It is now a first degree. Coming from a poor background myself, I know what this young man is going through right now when he looks at himself and realizes that he will not be able to find at least his first year tuition fee. I took his case to Mr. Kelly in the same manner that I did mind, through email, and got a positive response. When I communicated this to the student, the response I got was the same one that I showed when I got the news. He is now overwhelmed that he will be getting the sponsorship that he needs to complete his degree. One of the most important things in life is to get a quality education. However, in order to get a quality education you have to have the financial support to do just that. It is therefore important for all members of the Kingston College Diaspora to play their part in helping a student in need. Join the cause and emulate the never ending support that people like Robert Kelly, Kitson Blissett and KCOBA USA has being making to KC students who are in need of financial support to continue their education.
